Deal

Deal, town (1991 pop. 26,311), Kent, SE England, on the Downs, an important passage for Channel shipping. It is a popular holiday resort. There is some boat building. Other industries include brush making, the production of plastics, and precision engineering. Deal is the reputed landing place of Julius Caesar in 55 B.C. and a later member of the Cinque Ports. Henry VIII had three castles built in the area: Deal Castle, Walmer Castle (seat of the lord warden of the Cinque Ports), and Sandown Castle (which has been washed away). From the 17th to the early 19th cent., Deal was an important supply and service center for ships anchored at the Downs.